Manufacture of shoes



April 19, 1938. w. H. NUTT 2,114,399

- MANUFACTURE OF SHOES 7 Filed Jan'. 8, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet l April 19, 1938. w. H. NUTT MANUFACTURE OF SHOES Filed Jan. 8, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Apr. 19, 1938 MANUFACTURE OF SHOES William H. Nutt, Beverly, Mass., assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Paterson, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application January 8, 1936, Serial No. 58,056

36 Claims.

This invention relates to shoes and the manufacture thereof and is illustrated herein with particular reference to improved bottom units for shoes and to improvements in methods of making shoes and shoe bottom units.

Objects of the invention are to provide an improved shoe bottom or outsole member adapted for attachment as a unit to a shoe and to provide improved methods of making shoes and shoe bottom units.

In accordance with one aspect the illustrated invention provides an improved method of making shoes which comprises forming a shoe bottom member or unit consisting of a heel and a shank .piece, covering the heel and shank piece with sheet material which overlaps the edges of the attaching surfaces of the heel and the shank piece, and thereafter applying the pre-covered member as a unit to the bottom of a lasted shoe.

As herein illustrated, a conventional wood heelis rigidly secured to a relatively inflexible shank piece conforming substantially in shape to the shank and heel portions of a last bottom. The covering for the heel and shank piece may be upper material and is preferably secured to the...

heel and the shank piece by cement such, for example, as rubber cement or latex. The marginal portions of the covering material are wiped over the inner or attaching surfaces of the shank piece and heel and are secured to the margins thereof by cement. At the breast of the heel and the portion of the shank piece adjacent thereto the margins of the covering are secured in slots formed in the opposite marginal or edge or adjacent portion of the shank piece, thereby preventing the formation of ridges in the shoe bottom by the overlapping of adjoining portions of the covering material and eliminating the necessity of performing a trimming operation.

The precovered heel and shank piece is provided at its forward end with a forepart sole member which is secured to the shank piece preferably by cement. As herein illustrated, the forepart sole member comprises a short relatively flexible outsole member of leather or similar material, such as artificial leather or fiber, arranged to cover only the forepart of the shoe bottom, and a filler piece of thin flexible material secured by cement to the forward end of the shank piece and to the flexible outsole, thereby reinforcing the attachment of the latter to the shank piece. The two forepart sole members areprfe'rably applied separately to the shank piece and their attachment thereto may, if desired, be reinforced by portions of the breast of the heel and in the rear driven fastenings such as tacks or staples. The filler piece may be applied first to the inner side of the covered shank piece and the outsole member applied afterwards to the outer side of the shank piece and to the adjacent surface of the filler piece. In accordance with another aspect of the illustrated method a relatively inflexible shank piece may have a heel rigidly secured thereto and, before a covering is applied, a filler piece of leather or similar material may be secured to the outer side of the forward end of the shank piece. When this method is practiced the heel and shank piece are next covered as described with sheet material such, for example, as kid or upper leather of a similar quality. The portion of the covering at the forward end of the shank piece, which preferably extends a little beyond the shank piece, is roughed in the usual manner and the short outsole is attached thereto and to the outer surfaceof the filler piece by cement to complete the construction of the shoe bottom unit. In each case the portions of the filler and outsole which overlap the shank piece are skived to a relativelythin edge to prevent the formation of ridges or shoulders on the inner and outer surfaces of the shoe bottom and also to increase the flexibility of the shoe at the ball portion. The securing of the outsole to the'filler as well as to the shank piece materially strengthens the attachment of the outsole member to the precovered shoe bottom unit and practically eliminates any danger of its becoming separated therefrom during the wear of the shoe. The completed outsole member may be conveniently attached to the shoe bottom as a unit by cement such, for example, as pyroxylin cement.

In its article aspects the invention provides an improved shoe bottom member which may be applied as a unit to a shoe and which, except for the usual finishing operations, is complete before its attachment to the shoe bottom. The shoe bottom unit has a full width shank and heel portion which normally provides a rigid support for the foot without a metal shank stiffener. It has a flexible forepart a portion of which is adapted to serve as a .filler to take up the space between the overlasted margins of the upper at the forepart of the shoe. preformed unit is covered with material such, for example, as upper leather the marginal portions of which are secured in slots formed in the breast of the heel and in the rear portion of the shank piece and are also secured to the inner or The rear portion of the 0 attaching surfaces of the heel and the shank piece.

The invention also provides as a new article of manufacture an improved shoe having a bottom or sole member which is preformed and precov ered before it is applied to the shoe. At its rear portion the preformed sole member is relatively inflexible and is shaped to conform to the shank and heel portions of a last bottom. It is provided with a heel rigidly secured to its outer surface and the forward end of the member has a flexible forepart outsole permanently secured thereto, the attachment of said forepart outsole to said bottom member being strengthened or reinforced by another flexible sole member or filler piece secured to the shoe bottom member and to the flexible outsole member preferably by cement. The shoe is light, snug fitting and flexible at its forepart. j

The invention further consists in various other improvements in the art of making shoes and bottom units therefor and various other features of shoe and shoe bottom construction hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawings and specifically pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the shank piece of the present invention with a heel rigidly secured thereto;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the inner or attaching surfaces of the shank piece and heel;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the shank piece and heel as viewed from below and illustrating the slots in the opposite marginal portions of the brease of the heel and the rear portion of the shank piece;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view similar to Fig. 3 after the shank piece and heel have been covered with sheet material;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged section through the heel taken on the line VV of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged transverse section through the covered shank piece taken on the line VI-VI of Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the inner side of the covered heel and shank piece with fore-.- part sole members attached to the forward end of the shank piece;

Fig. 8 is a longitudinal section on an enlarged scale taken on the line VIIIVIII of Fig. '7;

Fig. 9 is a perspective view,of an. uncovered heel and shank piece with a forepart flller member attached to the outer side of the forward end of the shank piece;

Fig. 10 is a side elevation partly in section of the shoe bottom member illustrated in Fig. 9 after the heel and shank piece have been covered and a forepart outsole member has been attached to the forward end of the shank piece; and

Fig. 11 is a side elevation of a lasted shoe with a shoe bottom unit attached thereto.

In making a shoe in accordance with the present invention a shoe bottom member or unit comprising a relatively inflexible heel and shank piece and a flexible forepart outsole portion is formed separately from the shoe and is applied, preferably by cement, to the lasted shoe bottom as a unit. In forming the heel and shank portion of the shoe bottom member a wood heel 2|, 1

herein illustrated as a Louis heel, is provided at the forward end of its attaching surface with a groove or depression 22 arranged to receive the rear portion of a relatively inflexible shank piece 24. The shank piece may be formed from a solid piece of wood or it may be made from mobile material such as plastic wood, fiberboard or similar material molded into the required shape. The shank piece is rigidly secured to the heel -20 by screws 26 and, as illustrated in Fig. 2, its inner surface 28 is shaped or molded .to conform to the shape of the bottom of a last. This inner surface 28, as illustrated, joins the depression or cup 38 in the attaching face of the wood heel without forming a shoulder or ridge.

After the shank piece 24 has been secured to the wood heel 28, the breast 32 of the heel and the portion of the shank piece adjacent thereto are provided at their opposite marginal portions with cover-receiving channels or slots 34 in which the margins of sheet'material which is to cover the exposed surfaces of the heel and shank piece may be later secured. As shown in Fig. 3 the slots are approximately one-sixteenth of an inch deep, extend heightwise of the heel at its opposite edge portions and terminate at points on the shank piece where the edge of its convex bottom surface merges with the edge of the inner concave surface 28. The slots 34 may be conveniently formed with the aid of a machine of the type shown in Letters Patent of the United States No. 1,926,153, granted September 12, 1933 on an application filed in the name of Norwood H. Knowlton, although they may, if desired, be formed by other machines or by hand.

In accordance with one mode of procedure herein illustrated in Figs. 5 to 8, inclusive, the

next operation in constructing the shoe bottom unit of the present invention is to cover the combined heel and shank piece with ornamental mato be inserted in the slots 34. The covering material may be advantageously secured .to the heel by an adhesive such as rubber cement or latex.

The outer surface of the shank piece 24, indicated in Fig. 3 by the numeral 25, and the breast portion 32 of the heel may be covered by a separate layer of material such as upper leather 38, the marginal portions of which forwardly of the heel overlap the opposite lateral edges of the shank piece and are secured by cement to the inner or attaching surface thereof as shown in Fig. 'l. The portion of the covering 38 which forms the breast flap for the heel has its marginal portions inserted in the slots 34 in the heel and the rear portion of the shank piece, as shown in Fig. 4, and the lower end of the material overlaps, and is secured to, the tread surface of the heel. In order to prevent the formation of wrinkles in the covering material 38 at the forward end of the attaching face of the heel where the margins of the layer 38 are tucked into the slots in' the rear portion of the shank piece, the material may be slit a little at points indicated in Fig. 4 by numerals 48, 48 to permit the margins forwardly of those points to be wiped over the edges of the inner surface of the shank piece and to cause the covering to lie smoothly over the outer surface of the shank piece and the breast of the heel. Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate, re-

spectively, how the heel and shank piece coverings 36, 38, are wrapped around the heel and over the outer surface of the shank piece and how their marginal portions are secured in the slots 36 in the breast of the heel and are also secured to the attaching surfaces of the heel and the shank piece.

The covered heel and shank piece is next provided at its forward end with a relatively flexible sole member 42 (Fig. 7) which conforms substantially in outline to the shape of the forepart of a last bottom but is considerably smaller than a last bottom. The flexible sole member as herein illustrated is secured to the inner side of the forward end of the covered shank piece by an adhesive, such for example, as pyroxylin cement. If desired the attachment of the sole member to the shank piece may be reinforced by driven fastenings (not shown) such as tacks or staples. As shown in section in Fig. 8, the portion of the sole member 42 which overlaps the end of the shank piece 24 is skived to a relatively thin edge to prevent the formation of a, shoulder or ridge in the bottom of the shoe. The sole member 62 is preferably formed of flexible leather or similar material such as artificial leather and is substantially as thick as the upper materials which are to be used in the shoe so that it will serve as a filler piece to fill up the space between the inner edges of the overlasted marginal portions of the upper at the forepart of the shoe. Except for its thickness and flexibility the quality of the material forming the sole member or filler piece 42 is of no consequence and accordingly pieces of flexible leather which would otherwise go to waste and commonly known as splits or skivings may be utilized for this purpose.

After the filler piece 42 has been secured to the combined heel and shank piece in the manner described, a short outsole member 44 conforming in shape to the forepart of a shoe bottom is attached to the outer side of the forward end of the shank piece by an adhesive such as pyroxylin cement, as shown in Figs. 7 and 8. Prior to the attachment of the forepart outsole member 44- to the shank piece, however, the intramarginal portion of its inner or flesh surface 46 should be coated with cement, preferably pyroxylin, so that it will adhere to the outer surface of the filler piece 42 thereby strengthening the attachment of the outsole member to the heel and shank piece and eliminating all danger of the outsole member separating from the shank piece during the wear of the shoe. As shown in Fig. 8, the rear portion'of the outsole member 44 is also skived to a relatively thin edge to form a neat joint where it overlaps the covered shank piece 24 as well as to increase the flexibility of the shoe at the ball line portion. A heel lift 65 may be attached to the tread surface of the heel in the usual manner to complete the construction of the shoe bottom member. The completed shoe bottom member made in accordance with the method illustrated in Figs. 1 to 8, inclusive, is

shown in Fig. '7 and is ready for attachment as a unit to the bottom of alasted shoe.

The shoe bottom unit of Fig. 7 may be applied to a lasted shoe 68 (Fig. 11) by pyroxylin cement after the overlapping portions of the upper material covering the inner surfaces 'of the shank piece and heel are roughed in the usual manner and coated with cement and the marginal portion of the surface 46 of the outsole member 64 is also roughed and covered with cement. The cement may then be activated by a solvent and the shoe bottom member applied to the shoe 48 with the aidof any well;known sole-attaching press.

Figs. 9 and 10 illustrate a somewhat different method of forming a complete shoe bottom member adapted for attachment as a unit to a shoe. This method comprises attaching a relatively inflexible preformed shank piece 50 and a conventional Wood heel 52 together by screws 54 in the manner already described. The combined shank piece and heel are then provided at the marginal portions of the breast of the heel and the rear portion of the shank piece with coverreceiving slots 56 as described above. A forepart sole member or filler piece 58, substantially the same as the member 62, is then attached to the outer surface of the forward end of the shank piece 50 by an adhesive, such for example, as pyroxylin cement. As shown in Fig. 9, the member 58 is of a size and shape to fill in the space between the overlasted edges of the upper materials at the forepart of a shoe bottom and is substantially as thick as the upper materials. The heel 52 is then covered with sheet material such as a thin layer of upper leather 60 and the outer surface of the shank piece 50 and the breast of the heel are covered with a separate layer of upper material 62, the margins of the rear portions of the material being inserted in' the slots 56 and secured therein by the rubber cement which secures the covering to the heel and shank piece. It will be noted in Fig. 10 that the covering 62 extends beyond the end of the fi.ller piece 58 for a short distance and.thus serves to strengthen the attachment of the filler piece to the shank piece. The end of the filler piece is skived to prevent the formation of a ridge on the outer surface of the shoe bottom.

A forepart outsole 64 is now attached to the forward portion of the covering material 62 which covers the shank piece, preferably by pyroxylin cement, and the outsole is also secured by cement to the adjacent surface of the filler piece 58 in the manner described to complete the construction of the shoe bottom member except for the attachment of a heel lift 68 which may be applied in the usual manner. The portion of the outsole member 64 which overlaps the forward end of the shank piece 56 is skived to a relatively thin edge as shown at 66 to prevent the formation of a shoulder on the shoe bottom and to increase the flexibility at the ball line of the shoe. The shoe bottom member illustrated in Fig. 10 is ready for attachment as a unit to the bottom of a shoe. If desired, after one of the shoe bottom members of the present invention has been attached to a lasted shoe such as that shown in Fig. 11, the last may be withdrawn and the attachment of thewood heel to the heel seat portion of the shoe bottom, that is, to the insole and overlasted upper materials, may be strengthened by the usual inside heel attaching nails although this is not necessary since the pyroxylin cement by which the entire outsole member is attached to the shoe bottom will be suflicient to hold it permanently on the shoe.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent. of the United States is:

1. That improvement in methods of making shoes which comprises forming a shoe bottom member consisting of a heel and a shank piece, covering the outer surface of said member with material which overlaps only the margins of the inner surface of the shank piece and heel, securing an outsole to said bottom member, and applying the preformed member as a unit to a shoe.

2. That improvement in methods of making shoes which comprises shaping a shoe bottom member to form a heel and an outsole portion for a shoe, covering the exposed surfaces of said member with sheet material which overlaps the attaching surfaces of the heel and outsole portion, securing a short outsole to the forward end of said member, and attaching the completed shoe bottom member to a shoe.

3. That improvement in methods of making shoes which comprises forming a shoe bottom unit consisting of a heel and a shank piece, covering the heel and shank piece, attaching a shoe bottom filler member to the forward end of said shank piece, securing an outsole to the filler member and to the shank piece, and applying the shoe bottom unit to a shoe.

4. That improvement in methods of making shoes which comprises rigidly securing a heel to a relatively inflexible shank piece, covering the heel and the outer surface of the shank piece, attaching a forepart outsole to the forward end of said shank piece, reinforcing the attachment of said outsole to the shank piece by another shoe bottom member secured to said shank piece and arranged to engage a substantial portion of the outsole, and applying the shoe bottom member to a shoe.

5. That improvement in methods of making shoes which comprises molding a shoe bottom member consisting of a relatively inflexible shank piece to conform in outline to the periphery of a last bottom, attaching a heel to said shank piece, covering the heel andthe outer surface of the shank piece with upper material, securing a forepart outsole and a shoe bottom filler piece to the forward end of said shank piece, and attaching the completed unit to a shoe bottom.

6. That improvement in methods of making shoes which comprises forming a shoe bottom member consisting of a heel and a relatively inflexible shank' piece, covering the heel and shank piece, securing a shoe bottom filler piece to the inner side of the forward end of the precovered shank piece, securing a forepart outsole member to the filler piece and to the, outer side of the forward end of said shank piece, and attaching the shoe bottom member to a shoe.

'7. That improvement in methods of making shoes which comprises molding a shoe bottom member consisting of a shank piece and securing a' heel thereto, attaching a shoe bottom filler piece to the outer side of the forward portion of the shank piece, covering the heel and shank piece with sheet material, attaching a forepart outsole to the outer side of the forward portion of the covered shank piece and to the outer surface of the filler piece, and securing the preformed member as a unit to a shoe bottom.

8. That improvement in methods of making shoes which comprises forming a shoe bottom unit consisting of a combined heel and shank piece, forming slots in the breast of the heel and in an adjacent portion of the shank piece, covering the heel and shank piece with sheet material, tucking the edge portions of said material into said slots, and applying the precovered unit to the bottom of a shoe.

9. That improvement in methods of making shoes which comprises rigidly attaching a heel to a preformed shank piece conforming in outline to the periphery of a last bottom, forming slots in the breast of the heel and inthe rear portion of the shank piece, covering the shank piece and heel, inserting the margins of the covering into said slots, securing a forepart outsole member to the forward end of said shank piece,

. and attaching the completed shoe bottom member as a unit to a shoe.

10. That improvement in methods of making shoes which comprises forming a; shoe bottom member consisting of a shank piece and a heel rigidly secured thereto, cutting slots in the breast of the heel adjacent to its opposite edges and continuing said slots into the rear portion of the shank piece, covering the heel and the outer surface of the shank piece with upper material, inserting the marginal portions of said material into the slots, attaching a filler piece to the forward end of the precovered shank piece, securing a forepart outsole to the forward end of said shank piece and to the adjacent surface of the filler piece, and attaching the completed shoe bottom member to a shoe.

11. That improvement in methods of making shoes which comprises forming a shoe bottom unit consisting of a heel and a relatively inflexible shank piece rigidly secured together, cutting slots in the opposite sides of the breast of the heel and in the rear portion of the shank piece, covering the heel and the outer surface ofthe shank piece with material which overlaps the attaching surfaces of the heel and shank piece, inserting the margins of the lower portion of said material into said slots, securing a forepart sole member to the forward end of the precovered shoe bottom unit, and cement attaching said unit to a shoe bottom.

12. That improvement in methods of making shoe parts which comprises forming a shoe bottom member consisting of a shank piece and a heel, covering the outer surface of said member with material which overlaps only the margins of the attaching surfaces of the heel and the shank piece, and securing aforepart sole member to the forward end of said shank piece.

13. That improvement in methods of making shoe parts which comprises forming a shoe bottom member consisting of a heel and a shank piece, covering said heel and shank piece with sheet material, securing a flexible filler piece to the forward endof said shank piece, and attaching a forepart outsole to the shank piece and the filler piece.

14. That improvement in methods of making shoe parts which comprises constructing a shoe bottom unit consisting of a shank piece and a heel, forming slots inthe breast of the heel and in the rear portion of the shank piece, covering the heel and the outer surface of the shank piece with sheet material, and inserting marginal portions of said material into said slots.

15. That improvement in methods of making shoe parts which comprises forming a shoe bottom member consisting of a relatively inflexible shank piece and a heel rigidly secured thereto, cutting slots in the opposite marginal portions of the breast of the heeland in the rear portion of the shank piece, covering the heel and shank piece with upper material, inserting marginal portions of said material into said slots, and wrapping other marginal portions of said material over the edges of the heel and shank piece and securing them to the attaching surfaces thereof.

16. That improvement in methods of making shoe parts which comprises shaping a shank piece to conform to the shank and heel portions of a 76 last bottom, attaching a heel to said shank piece, forming slots in the opposite'marginal portions of the breast of the heel and extending said slots into the rear portion of the shank piece, covering the heel and shank piece with sheet material secured thereto by cement, tucking marginal portions of the upper material at and adjacent-to the breast of the heel into said slots, securing the rigidly securing a heel to said shank piece, cutting marginal slots in the opposite sides of the breast of the heel and in the rear portion of the shank piece, attaching a forepart filler piece to the forward end of the outer side of said shank piece, covering the heel and the shank piece with upper material, inserting the margins of the upper material adjacent to the slots into said slots, securing the margins of the rest of the upper material to the inner surfaces of the heel and the shank piece, and cement attaching a short outsole to the forward end of saidshank piece and to the adjacent surface of the filler piece.

18. A shoe comprising an upper, an insole and an outsole member consisting of a flexible forepart and a relatively inflexible shank portion having a heel attached thereto, the outer surfaces of said shank portion and heel having a covering thereon marginal portions of which overlap only the margins of the attaching surfaces of the shank piece and heel and are permanently secured to said margins by cement.

19. A shoe comprising an upper, an insole and an outsole unit consisting of a flexible forepart secured to a relatively inflexible shank piece which conforms in shape to the shank and heel portions of a last bottom, said shank piece having a heel rigidly secured thereto and said heel and said shank piece being covered on their exposed surfaces with upper material which overlaps only the margins of the attaching surfaces of the heel and the shank piece.-

20. A shoe comprising an upper, an insole and an outsole member consisting of a flexible forepart secured to a relatively inflexible shank piece having a heel secured thereto, said heel and shank piece being covered with material marginal portions of which are secured in slots in the breast of the heel and in the rear portion of the shankpiece.

21. A shoe comprising an upper, an insole and an outsole having a relatively flexible forepart secured to a precovered shank piece having a covered heel attached thereto, said forepart having a member secured to its inner surface which serves as a filler in the bottom of the shoe.

I 22. A shoe comprising an upper, an insole and an outsole unit consisting of a relatively inflexible shank piece with a heel rigidly secured thereto, a covering for said heel and shank piece, a flexible forepart sole member secured to the forward end of said shank piece, and a flexible filler piece also secured to the forward end of the shank piece and to the inner surface of the forepart sole member.

23. A shoe comprising an upper, an insole and an outsole consisting of a relatively stifi shank piece with a heel attached thereto, a relatively flexible forepart sole member secured to the forward end of the shank piece, and a covering for the exposed surfaces of the shank piece and heel which overlaps only the marginal portions of the attaching surfaces of the heel and the shank piece.

'24. 3. shoe comprising an upper, an insole and an outsole consisting. of a relatively inflexible shank piece conforming in shape to alast bottom,

- a heel rigidly secured to said shank piece, sheet material covering the heel and the exposed portions of the shank piece, the marginal portions of said material being inserted in slots formed in the breast of the heel and in the adjacent por-- tion of the shank piece, and a flexible outsole attached to the forward end of said shank piece and arranged to cover shoe bottom.

25. A shoe comprising an upper, an insole and an outsole consisting of a relatively inflexible shank piece conforming in shape to the shank and heel portions of a last bottom and having a heel rigidly secured to its outer side, and a relatively flexible forepart secured to said shank piece, said heel and said shank piece being covered with sheet material the marginal portions only the forepart of the of which are secured in slots in the opposite edge portions of the breast of the heel and in the rear portion of the shank piece and are also secured to the attaching surfaces of said heel and shank piece. the flexible forepart of the outsole having secured to its inner surface a shoe bottom filler piece the rear portion of which is secured to the shank piece and thereby reinforces the attachment of the flexible forepart to said shank piece.

26. A shoe comprising an upper, an insole and a shoe bottom unit consisting of a relatively inflexible shank piece having a heel attached thereto, a flexible layer secured to the forward end of said shank piece and serving as a filler in the forepart of the shoe bottom, upper material covering the heel and shank piece and the rear portion of said flexible layer, and a flexible forepart outsole secured to the forward end of said shank piece and to the adjacent surface of said flexible layer, said outsole overlapping the upper material covering the flexible layer.

27. A shoe comprising an upper, an insole and an outsole unit consisting of a relatively inflexible shank piece having a heel attached thereto and a flexible forepart secured to said shank piece, said heel and said shank piece being covered with upper material, said forepart comprising an inner layer secured to the inner side of the forward end of the covered shank piece and serving as a filler for the shoe bottom, and an outer layer secured to the outer side of the forward end of said shank piece and to the outer surface of said inner layer and serving as the outsole at the forepart of the shoe. I

28. A shoe comprising an upper, an insole and an outsole having a relatively flexible forepart member secured to a relatively inflexible shank piece, a heel secured to said shank piece, upper material covering said heel and said shank piece, the marginal portions of the upper material being secured in slots in the breast of the heel and in the rear portion of the shank piece and being secured also to the inner attaching surfaces of the heel and the shank piece, said forepart member comprising an inner layer secured to the outer side of the forward end of the shank piece inside the upper material and serving as a filler for the forepart of the shoe bottom, and an outer layer secured to the upper material at the forward end of the shank piece and to the outer surface 'of saidinner layer.

29. A shoe comprising an upper, an insole, an outsole member, a heel secured to said outsole member, said heel having slots in the opposite marginal portions of its breast which extend into the rear portion of the outsole member, a cover for the rear and side portions of the heel having its marginal portions secured in said slots, and a cover for the outer surface of the outsole member and the breast of the heel, said cover having the margins of its forward portion secured to the attaching surface of the outsole member and the margins of its rear portion secured in the slots in the rear portion of the outsole member and the breast of the heel.

30. A shoe bottom unit separate from a shoe comprising a relatively inflexible shank piece, a

heel rigidly secured to said shank piece, and sheet material covering only the surfaces of the shank piece and the heel that will be exposed when the unit is incorporated in a shoe including the rear the surfaces of the shank piece and heel which.

are to engage the shoe bottom in the shoe and being secured only to the said surfaces.

31. As a separate article of manufacture, a shoe bottom unit comprising a relatively inflexible shank piece conforming to the shape of .the shank portion of a last bottom, a heel rigidly secured to said shank piece, upper material covering all the portions of the heel and the shank piece that will be exposed when the unit is applied to a shoe and overlapping only the margins of the shoe engaging surfaces thereof, and a flexible forepart member secured to the forward end of the covered shank piece.

32. A shoe bottom unit comprising a shank piece with a heel secured thereto, a covering for the heel and the shank piece, marginal portions of said covering being inserted in slots in. the breast of the heel and in the rear portion of the shank piece, and a forepart sole member secured to the forward end of said shank piece.

33. A shoe bottom unit comprising a relatively inflexible shank piece conforming in outline to the periphery of the shank and heel portions of a last bottom, a heel rigidly secured to said shank piece, a covering for the heel and the shank piece, the marginal portions of said covering being secured in slots in the opposite sides of the breast of the heel and the rear portion of the shank and to the inner surfaces of the heel and shank piece, and a short outsole permanently secured to the forward end of said shank piece.

34. A shoe bottom unit .comprising a relatively inflexible shank piece with a heel rigidly secured thereto, a covering for the heel and shank piece, a flexible forepart sole member secured to the forward end of' the shank piece to serve as a filler piece in the bottom of a lasted shoe, and a relatively flexible forepart outsole member secured to the forward end of the shank piece and to the adjacent surface of the filler piece.

35. A shoe bottom unit comprising a relatively inflexible shank piece with a wood heel secured directly thereto, a forepart filler member secured to the outer side of the forward end of said shank piece, said flller member being composed of flexible material, upper material covering the wood heel and the outer surface of the shank piece and overlapping the end of the filler member, and a flexible outsole secured to the outer surface of said flller member and to the upper material overlapping said member.

36. A shoe bottom member comprising a relatively inflexible shank piece conforming in shape to the shank and heel portions of a last bot- 7 tom, a. heel rigidly secured to said shank piece,

upper material covering the heel and the outer surface of the shank piece, the marginal portions of said upper material being secured in slots in the breast of the heel and in the outer surface of the shank piece and being secured also to the attaching surfaces of the integral heel and shank piece, a forepart filler member secured to the inner side of the forward end of the shank piece,

said member being formed of relatively flexible material, and a flexible forepart outsole member secured to the outer side of the forward end of the covered shank piece and to the outer surface of the filler member.

WILLIAM H. N'UTT. 

